Considerable research has been conducted in the area of finding compounds possessing antiviral activity. This has become a subject of major research in the field of virology, being directly concerned with the prophylaxis and particularly the treatment of diseases caused by viral infections.
The antiviral properties of the thiourea derivatives and of the structurally related to them thiocarbanilides were first proved by Buu-Hoi. By carrying out tests on mice these substances showed a certain effect on the type A/PR8 of the influenza virus. Girard et al. found that some dithiobiuret derivatives could protect mice inoculated with poliovirus 2. Well known with their considerable antiviral acitivity are also the N-methylizatine-.beta.-thiosemicarbazone derivatives which found wide application in smallpox prophylaxis.
It is an object of the present invention to provide active antiviral compositions.